IMPHAL: Incidents of violence continued unabated amid ethnic clashes in Manipur as one civilian was killed and two others were injured today in violent face-offs between warring groups and the security forces in two villages bordering Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts, officials said.
They said there was a brief lull between 3 am and 6 am, but the sounds of indiscriminate firing from Phayeng and Singda villages in the Kangchuk area along the two districts resumed after that.
Earlier, there was confusion about the person who had died in the clashes as security officials thought he was a policeman since the victim was wearing police uniform and was carrying a .303 rifle. “However, later it was learnt that the rifle, which the victim was carrying, was stolen from the police armoury,” said a senior security official.
Tension prevailed in Imphal city following the incident and paramilitary forces were deployed in the affected area, the officials said, adding that shops and other business establishments remained closed.
Meanwhile, a joint delegation of CPM and CPI parliamentarians, who visited the state, have claimed that Biren Singh government’s continuance has been a major hurdle in restoring peace in Manipur.
The delegation of Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and John Brittas of the CPM and Binoy Viswam, K Subbarayan and P Sandosh Kumar of the CPI visited refugee camps in the state for three days from July 6.
Over 120 people have been killed and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3.